Lewis E. Bassett, 101, passed away March 5, 2025, at Willow Ridge - Frieda House in Bluffton. 

Lewis was born May 3, 1923 in Spencerville on Glen Oak Farm to Howard and Doris (Giffin) Bassett, who preceded him in death. On May 4, 1947 he married Imogene (Anderson) Bassett, who preceded him in death on November 3, 2017. 

From the Hardin County Sheriff's Office on 03/05/2025  
RE: Michael Bolen Homicide  

On 03/05/2025 Dustin Ray Bolen, a McGuffey man has plead guilty to the following charges:  

Count #1 Murder (F1)  
Count #2 Gross abuse of a corpse (F5)  
Count #3 Tampering with evidence (F3)  

Sentencing for the above charges is scheduled for April 2, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. in the Hardin County  Common Pleas Court.  

Additional information:  

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By Paula Pyzik Scott

The Bluffton Icon is approaching 7,000 Facebook fans! That makes us curious to know how many readers are new and how many have been reading for up to 16 years!

Provided by Bluffton High School

Bluffton High School is proud to announce that Zoe Shank has been selected as the Student of the Month for February 2025. Zoe is a senior with a 4.0 GPA and is the daughter of Phil and Sarah Shank of Bluffton.

A dedicated senior, Zoe is a multifaceted leader and scholar. She serves as the president of the Spanish Club and is an active member of the orchestra, academic team, National Honor Society and Campus Life. Shank’s leadership extends to her role as co-organizer of a weekly Bible study group, demonstrating her commitment to her peers and community.   READ MORE

By Scott Daley, Student Pharmacist and Karen L. Kier, Pharmacist on behalf of the ONU Healthwise Team 

On March 1, 1972, Mac Davis recorded Baby Don’t Get Hooked on Me and the song hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Easy Listening Hot 100. The song was part of an episode on The Muppet Show hosted by Davis. Many may not realize how successful Mac Davis was as a songwriter before he became a performer in his own right.  He is famous for writing songs for Elvis such as Memories, In the Ghetto and A Little Less Conversation. 

You can get hooked on caffeine and the latest research is not good for our youth.

Prime, Bang, C4, Fast Twitch, Alani, Celcius, Dunkin and Starbucks are just a few of the popular drink brands giving teens and young adults too much caffeine. As these brands market to a younger audience and grow profits every year, the research surrounding their consumption has some pretty serious consequences. To understand why we should not be giving our children these drinks, we need to look at the effect caffeine has on the brain and how that affects our day to day behavior. READ MORE

Beverly A. Osborne, 84, passed away March 3, 2025, at her home. 

Beverly was born July 2, 1940 in Bluffton, to James "Ross" and Georgia (Stepleton) Irwin who preceded her in death. 

She was a graduate of Bluffton High School and attended Emmanuel United Church of Christ. She dedicated many years to working at the Flying J in Beaverdam as a fuel desk operator. She enjoyed sewing and crafting. 

She is survived by her son, James (Joan) Osborne of Rocky River, OH; two grandchildren, Casi Goings Cramer and Amanda Osborne; and five great-grandchildren.

Betsy E. Steiner, 100, passed away peacefully with her family by her side on February 13, 2025 at Mennonite Memorial Home in Bluffton, Ohio. 

Betsy was born on September 11, 1924 in Pandora, Ohio to the late Wilbert and Mildred (Carr) Zuercher. She graduated from Pandora High School and married Walter Steiner on April 28, 1952. They had two children and were together until his death in 1967. 

Robert "Bob" G. Badertscher, 86, passed away March 2, 2025, surrounded by his family, at the Mennonite Memorial Home. 

Bob was born August 5, 1938 in Bluffton to Edwin and Mae (Murray) Badertscher who preceded him in death. On April 8, 1961, he married Ann (Zimmerly) Badertscher who preceded him in death on October 31, 2018. 

He was a 1956 graduate of Bluffton High School and was the owner and operator of Badertscher Milk Hauling. He enjoyed cheering for the University of Michigan, the Detroit Lions, and the Detroit Tigers.